Nova Patents
US7216837B2

Device for holding a container

Summary by NHIP

Star-shaped elastic container holder

The device holds containers upright, inclined, or inverted by inducing a concave shape in a flexible, elastic main body upon insertion. A star-shaped body features radially extended arms and a central hole with tabs that grip the container tightly to create the supporting curvature.

Claim Score by NHIP

Read claim 7, the broadest

Abstract

An inexpensive, lightweight, thin, portable, compact, reusable, easy to clean, holder that can support a container in an upright, inclined, or inverted position on level, non-level, and solid and liquid surfaces or suspended using a means of suspension, such as a wire. The generally star-shaped main body with radially extended arms, and containing a hole therein used to grip a container. The main body is incurvated into a concave shape by the insertion of a container into the hole located near the center of the main body. The incurvation occurs due to the elasticity of the material used for the main body forming a semi-rigid concave shape capable of supporting the weight of the container. The adaptability of the holder enables a wide range of uses for the invention.

US7216837B2, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 10

Term

Term ended

Expired 5 May 2026, 0.4 years ago.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Granted
  4. Expired
  5. Today

7 claims: 2 independent, 5 dependent

  1. 1
    A device for holding a container in an upright, inclined, or inverted position comprising:(a) providing a substantially flat first member of flexible and elastic material of predetermined thickness and (b) said first member having a length and width of sufficient size to support said container and (c) said first member having a predetermined shape comprising of a generally star-shaped main body and (d) said star-shaped body comprising of a plurality of radially extended arms along the outer edge of the main body and (e) said star-shaped body containing a hole there through for inserting said container and (f) said hole comprising of a plurality of tabs along the edge of the hole and (g) said hole having a diameter such that said container fits tightly when inserted within said hole thereby inducing said first member to incurvate into a generally concave shape and (h) said concave shaped first member can be placed upon a surface where the radially extended arms of said concave shaped first member are in contact with said surface and (i) said concave shaped first member can be oriented so that said held container will be in an upright, inclined or inverted position on the surface and whereby said first member will hold said container within said hole and said first member will be incurvated into a concave shape upon the insertion of said container and said first member can be oriented whereby said container held within said hole can be positioned into an upright, inclined or inverted position with respect to said surface and thereby supporting said container on said surface.
  2. 7
    Broadest claimClaim Score 43, average(NHIP)A flexible and removable structure for suspending a container in an upright, inclined, or inverted position comprising:(a) providing a substantially flat first member of flexible and elastic material of predetermined thickness and (b) said first member having a predetermined shape comprising of a plurality of radially extended arms along the outer edge of the first member and (c) said first member having a length and width of sufficient size to support said container and (d) said first member containing a hole there through for inserting said container and (e) said hole comprising of a plurality of tabs along the edge of the hole and (f) said hole having a diameter such that said container fits tightly when inserted within said hole thereby inducing said first member to incurvate into a generally concave shape and (g) said radially extended arms of said concave shaped first member have a hole near the edge that is used to provide a means for attaching a wire or string to suspend the combined structure from a surface and whereby said first member will hold said container within said hole and said first member will be incurvated into a concave shape upon the insertion of said container and said first member are suspended via a wire from said surface thereby supporting said container in an upright, inclined or inverted position from said surface.
Independent claims2